A government-funded report warns that the number of children who use e-cigarettes regularly has nearly doubled in two years.
Experts attribute the rise to social media sites such as TikTok, where videos demonstrating vape smoke tricks have amassed tens of millions of views.
According to the report, which surveyed 2,000 British children, one in every 14 over-11s (7%) now uses e-cigarettes regularly, up from 4% in 2020.
Over the same period, the proportion of people who have tried the devices has increased to 16%. Almost half of TikTok, Instagram, and Snapchat users had watched vape videos.
Disposable e-cigarettes were preferred by 52% of young people who vaped, a significant increase from the 7% who said the same thing in 2020.
Experts warn that vape devices are appealing to children because they are frequently brightly colored, inexpensive, and contain fruity flavors.
The devices can be purchased online for as little as £5 and do not require proof of age.
A new generation of disposable nicotine-containing vapes known as ‘puff bars’ has hit the market in the last year.
In addition to nicotine, the devices contain harmful particles that can be inhaled deep into the lungs, as well as chemical flavorings that have been linked to lung disease.
In March, 2,613 11 to 17-year-olds from across the United Kingdom took part in a YouGov poll.
It was done for Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) and was funded in part by the Department of Health.
Only 10% of 11 to 15-year-olds had tried vaping in 2022, up from 3% in 2013 and 8% in 2022, according to the findings.
In the 16 to 17-year-old age group, the rate more than quadrupled in a decade, rising from 7% to 29%.
The increase was even greater for those aged 18 to 24, rising from 9% to 41%.
Deborah Arnott, CEO of Action on Smoking and Health (ASH), has called for more funding to enforce laws against underage sales, as well as action on child-friendly packaging and labeling and social media promotion.
It’s no surprise, she says, that the devices are becoming increasingly appealing to children.
According to the report, four percent of 11 to 15-year-olds are currently vaping, while fourteen percent of 16 and 17-year-olds are.
According to the report, regular tobacco use among children is declining, falling from 16% in 2020 to 14% in 2022.
More than half of young people who vaped said disposable e-cigarettes were their preferred product — a seven-fold increase from 2020 when only 7% said that was their preferred mode of vaping.
WHAT EXACTLY IS VAPING?
Vape pens are electronic devices that convert liquids into aerosols that the user inhales.
The liquid typically contains nicotine, flavoring, and other additives.
Nicotine is addictive in both e-cigarettes and traditional cigarettes.
E-cigarettes are classified as tobacco products because the majority of them contain nicotine, which is derived from tobacco.
Aside from nicotine, e-cigarettes may contain harmful or potentially harmful ingredients such as:
flavorants such as diacetyl, a chemical linked to serious lung disease volatile organic compounds heavy metals such as nickel, tin, and lead that can be inhaled deeply into the lungs
Nicotine use during childhood and adolescence can lead to addiction and harm the developing brain.
The survey also asked children about their knowledge of e-cigarette advertising.
While it is illegal to sell vapes to anyone under the age of 18, posts on social media from teenagers show the new vapes and discuss the flavors, which include pink lemonade, strawberry banana, and mango.
TikTok was the most frequently mentioned source of online promotion (cited by 45% of children), followed by Instagram (31%), and Snapchat (3%). (22 percent).
Underage vapers said they were most likely to get their vapes from a shop (47%), 10% bought them online, and 43% were given them by someone else.
Fruit flavors continue to be the most popular (57 percent).
When asked why young people vape, the most common response was “just to give it a try.”
It was followed by “because I enjoy the flavors” and “because I enjoy the experience.”
A separate review commissioned by the government and published last month recommended that the flavors of vaping products be reviewed to ensure they do not appeal to young people.
The paper, written by former children’s charity chief Javed Khan, also suggested that cartoons and images of vaping products that are appealing to children be prohibited.
‘The disposable vapes that have surged in popularity over the last year are brightly colored, pocket-size products with sweet flavors and sweet names,’ Ms. Arnott added.
‘They’re widely available for under a fiver, so it’s no surprise they’re appealing to children.’
She advocated for increased funding to enforce laws against underage sales, as well as action on child-friendly packaging and labeling, as well as social media promotion.
‘Online platforms cannot wait; they must act now,’ Ms. Arnott added.
‘The flood of glamorous vaping promotion on social media, particularly TikTok, is completely inappropriate, and they should turn the tap off.’
The rise in vaping is concerning,’ said Professor Ann McNeill, a tobacco addiction expert at King’s College London.
‘Our response must be proportionate, given that smoking poses a much greater risk to young people’s health and there is good evidence that e-cigarettes can be an effective stop smoking aid.’
Professor McNeill, the author of a forthcoming Government-commissioned e-cigarette review, added, ‘The government should ensure that existing laws are enforced and identify areas where regulations could be expanded.’
‘However, this must be done in tandem with ensuring a much faster decline in young people taking up smoking and assisting more smokers to quit.’
‘Social media platforms supposedly have policies to prevent the promotion of vapes to children, but they do little to enforce them,’ said Gillian Golden, chief executive of the Independent British Vape Trade Association.
‘We monitor and report violations to social media platforms, but they rarely act, with TikTok being the worst offender.’
Businesses that illegally sell products to children under the age of 18 are also more likely to violate the law by selling products that do not comply with UK regulations.
‘The majority of retailers and importers do not sell to children and want stricter enforcement to ensure that others do not as well.’
‘At TikTok, nothing is more important than keeping our community safe, especially our youngest users,’ said a spokeswoman.
‘We strictly prohibit content that depicts or promotes the sale, trade, or offer of tobacco, including vaping products, regardless of a user’s age, and we will remove any content found to be violating our community guidelines.’
‘We also do not recommend content in TikTok users’ feeds that shows or promotes tobacco products.’
‘Using Snapchat to buy or sell vaping products is strictly against our rules,’ said a Snap spokesperson.
‘You cannot search for vaping-related terms, and we remove violating content and accounts when we discover them through our safety tools or in-app reporting tools.’
The Chartered Trading Standards Institute conducted 442 test purchases in shops earlier this year, resulting in 145 illegal sales to under-18s.
‘Trading Standards teams are doing their best to protect young people from underage sales of both vapes and tobacco,’ said John Herriman, chief executive of the Chartered Trading Standards Institute.
Under a bold smoke-free’ plan, children could be barred from purchasing cigarettes FOR LIFE.
According to radical recommendations unveiled today, today’s children should be barred from ever purchasing cigarettes, and smoking in pub gardens should be made illegal.
According to the Government-commissioned review, the age limit for purchasing cigarettes in England, which is currently set at 18, should be raised by 12 months every year until no one can legally buy a tobacco product.
Former Health Secretary Sajid Javid tasked former children’s charity CEO Javed Khan with finding ways for England to be smoke-free by 2030 — defined as less than 5% of people smoking, down from 15% now.
Ministers are expected to reject the proposed policy, which is being implemented in New Zealand and will prevent anyone born after 2008 from purchasing cigarettes. Mr. Javid, on the other hand, stated that the Government will ‘carefully consider’ all 15 of the ‘clear and challenging’ recommendations.
Among the audacious proposals is having NHS doctors prescribe e-cigarettes and vapes to smokers to help them quit.
According to the report, the government should make “the polluter pay” by forcing the “dying” tobacco industry to pay an extra £70 million in tax every year to fund a £125 million fund to support quitting and e-cigarettes on the NHS.
It also suggests that supermarkets and websites be prohibited from selling tobacco and that retailers be required to apply for a tobacco license to limit where cigarettes can be sold.
All films and television shows that depict smoking or other “tobacco imagery” should be rated for people over the age of 18.
